"Hummingbird Heartbeat" was serviced to Australian radio as a single from Teenage Dream on the week of September 17, 2012. The song received generally positive reviews from music critics, many of whom labeled it as a potential single choice. Upon the release of Teenage Dream, "Hummingbird Heartbeat" charted on the lower regions of the South Korea Gaon International Chart, peaking at 124.

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Perry was inspired to write "Hummingbird Heartbeat" after she began dating Russell Brand

In an interview with YouTube about Teenage Dream in August 2010, Perry revealed that "Hummingbird Heartbeat" was one of the first songs she wrote for the album after she finished her Hello Katy Tour (2009). When speaking about the song, Perry said she first had the idea for the song while she was in her hometown of Santa Barbra, California:

"I was at breakfast when I saw this hummingbird, and hummingbird was having breakfast as well..... and I don't know if you know but hummingbirds are supposedly good luck and I was just thinking about hummingbirds. I was thinking 'How fast does their heart beat?' , like 'how many beats per minute?' And using that idea as an idea for someone making you feel, instead of those butterflies, making your heart beat really, really fast."[2]

"Hummingbird Heartbeat" is an uptempo glam metal, rock, and electronica.[3] "Hummingbird Heartbeat" is written in the key of F♯ major, and the tempo moves at 120 beats per minute over a moderate beat. Perry's vocal range in the song spans from the lower note of A♯3 to the higher note of D♯5.[4] The intro and chorus follow a chord progression of F♯/B–C♯–A♯m7–Bmaj9, while the verses follow one of D♯m7–C♯–F♯7–Bmaj9.[5] The song encompasses electric guitars, acoustic drums, a piano, and synthesizers in its production.[6]

Upon the release of the Teenage Dream album, "Hummingbird Heartbeat" charted on the lower regions of the South Korea Gaon International Chart, peaking at 124.[7] Following the success of "Wide Awake", it was announced that "Hummingbird Heartbeat" would be released as a single from Teenage Dream in Australia and the United Kingdom.[8] The song was sent to radio in Australia the week of September 17, 2012. Hummingbird Heartbeat" debuted at number 59 on the Australia Hot 100 Airplay Chart on the issue dated September 24, 2012.[9] The following week it reached its peak position of 34.[10]

"Hummingbird Heartbeat" received generally positive reviews. Tom Thorogood from MTV gave a positive review of the song, labeling it a strong single choice and calling it a: "nice companion to Teenage Dream, 'the story of the birds and the bees' is more grown up with proper guitars."[11] Jeb Inge of The Journal called "Hummingbird Heartbeat" the strongest song on the album,[3] while Michael Gallucci of Cleveland Scene declared the song an album highlight and compared it to "Teenage Dream", adding that they were both "top-down bangers."[12] Gary Trust from Billboard compared "Hummingbird Heartbeat" to the first five Teenage Dream singles, and felt that if released as a single, would help Perry become the first artist with six number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100.[13] In a less positive review, Jessica Sager of PopCrush wrote that "Hummingbird Heartbeat" is a "bit of an awkward listen".[8] In July 2013, Robert Copsey and Lewis Corner of Digital Spy said "a full music video and worldwide push would have been more satisfactory".[14]